Eraser-cleaning machine



@et 3U? i923,

EVANS ERASER CLEANING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed' Aug. 4, 1921 @ai30, ma.' 'nmz-,0m

O. L. EVANS ERASER CLEANING. MACHINE Filed Aug. 4; 1921 3 .sheets-.sheets N E @s l g@ l Q 5|||||| Fatented @et 3Q, i923..

OSCAR L. EVANS, OF EXCELSIGR, MINNESOTA.

arrasar onirica.

ERASERr-CLEANING MACHNE. i

application iiieaaugust 4, 1921. serial no. maar?.

scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same'.

My invention has for its object to provide an eraser cleaning machine ofhigh, ca-

' pacity and efliciency, andwhich will remove away; and y the chalk dustfrom the erasers and discharge the same outside of the building in whichthe machine is used or at any other suitable place.

Generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices andcombinations of devices, hereinafter described and defined in theclaims.

Machines of this character will be found especially serviceable anddesirable for use in large grade schools land high schools where a verylarge number of erasers should be cleaned during a very shortspace oftime. In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, likecharacters indicate'like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings :-f-

Fig. l is a plan View of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l, some partsbeing broken Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line41-4 of Fig. 1, some parts being broken away.

'As preferably constructed, themachine is ,provided with a sheet metalhousing 5 having a depending portion 6 and a discharge spout 7, at ornear one end. This discharge spout 7 will be extended to the exterior ofthe building in which the machine is installed or to any other suitableplace where the discharge 4of the chalk dust will not be objectionable.The depending portion 6, in one side, is provided with a door 8 and themain body ofthe housing 5 is provided with a. displaceable cover plate 9shown as slidabl mounted. Y

he housincr described and certain other parts, presently to bedescribed, are shown as supported by a rectangular framework 10, of woodor other suitable material.

'i Rigidly supported by the frame-work 10 and extended along the lowerportion of, and into the housing 5, is a feed table 1l, the receivingend of which is outside of said housing. v

p ln this machine, a blast of air is blown into the housing 5 from thefan, made up of a casing 12 and co-operating fan-head 13, which latteris carried by a` shaft 14: journaled in suitable bearings on the frame10 and provided with 'a pulley 15, over which power-driven belt 16 isarranged to run. The belt 16 may be driven from an electric motor or anyother suitable source of power.

The fan-casing 12 haskan air discharging' spout 17 that opens into thefront end of the housing 5 at a suitable point above the table 11; andbetween said. spo-ut and table, below said table, said housing is leftopen for the feed passageof the erasers and feed belt. The said feedbelt is inthe form of endless parallel strips of leather, or otherflexible material `and is provided with transversely extendedlongitudinally spaced slats 19 secured thereto. The erasersg areindicated by the letter Y. Said-feed belt runs over rollers 20 and 21journaled in the upper laterallyspacedbeams. 10a of the frame 10. Theroller 21 is an idleroller,

but the roller 20 is a driving roller, and itsA shaft 20aV projects .atone end, and is provided with a pulley22. Said feed belt or apron 13runs over and beneath the table V11 and its operative upper portionmoves frictionally upon said table and is supported thereby.

Overlying the inner portion `of the table and feed belt and suitablyspaced above the same, is a cylindrical brush 23, the shaft 24 of whichis journaled in suitable bearings on the frame beams 10a, and oneprojecting end is provided with a pulley 25. y

, The fan shaft 14, at its rear end, is pro vided with. a beveled pinion26 that meshes with a bevel gear. 27 on a transverse shaft 28 journaledin suitable bearings on the main frame 10. At one projecting end, theshaft 23 is provided with pulleys 29 and 30, and, at the other end, itis provided with a crankl 31. The pulley 30 carries a crank pin 32 thatserves `as a companion crankvto said crank 31. 'v A,

Working within the housing 5 between the front or receiving end thereofand the rotary brush 23 is a beater plate or board 33, preferablygrooved on the under side and provided with upwardly projecting studs 34that extendl through oscillatory arms 35, the downturned front ends ofwhich, as shown, are pivoted n transverse rods 36 just above the line ofmovement of the upper portions of the erasers Y. Coiled springs 37surround the studs 34 and are compressed between the beater board33 andthe arms 35.'V

Collars 38, iixed on the studs 34, 'limit the downward movement ofthebeater board 33 from the arms 35.

Forvoscillating the beater boardi33, oscillatory movement is directlygiven to the arms 35, through laterallyspaced pitmans or connecting rods39, the upper ends of vwhich are pivoted to the ends .of a cross-bar-40'which connects the arms 35. The lower ends of the pitmans 39 arepvotally connetzteil, one to the crank 31 and the otherto the crank pin32 of thepulley 30. The ends `of the cross-.bar 40 work through openingsin sides ofthe casing vand are attached to flexible Vsheets 40a thatkeep said openings closed.

A belt 4l runs over theI aligned pulleys 29 and 25 to. impart rotarymotion to the cylindrical brush 23; and a crossed belt 42 yruns, overthev aligned .pulleys 30 and 22 to transmit motion to the roller 2O and,hence, to the feed belt.

For holding the erasers down upon the feed belt and to prevent jumpingac-V tions of the .erasers while they are being beaten, I provide aplurality of longitudinally extended, laterally spaced, flexible cables43. These cables 43 may be hemp cords, wires, small wire cables or thelike, and at their front ends, they are shown as attached to thetransverse rod 36, while at `vtheiryrear ends, theyare anchored to aytransverse tension rod 44, the ends of which latter project throughslots in the sides of the housing 5.and are connectedto coiled Y springs45 anchored to said housing. The springs 45 keep all ofthe cablesorcords stretched taut and positioned just above the upturned feltsurfaces of the erasers.

Operation.

The operation of this improved machine is substantially as follows: Theerasers to be ycleaned are spaced side bv side in rows between the slatsA19 vvof the feed belt, withV their felt faces turned upward.. In thisway, a very .large 4number of erasers may .be kept constantly on thefeed belt and subject to. the .beating action of the beater' board orplate 3.3. When the machine is in operation, they beater board 33 willbe rapidly vibrated or oscillated upward and downward, andunder eachdownward movement, itwll strike and beat the chalk laden felt faces ofthe erasers, thereby loosening Us land beating out the chalk dust- The@were will be quite Well cleaned before they reach the rotary brush 23,but

by the latter, the remaining loose dust will be brushed out frornthefelt faces of the erasers. This cleaning action is, of course, greatlyaccelerated by the action ofthe air blast whichV is blown through thehousing, and constantly carries off the loosened chalk dust withoutgiving the same a chance to settle, after having been loosened up. Inaddition to its beating action, the beater ward movements tends to carryand blow the chalk dust outof the erasers.

kIt is further important to noteiirst, that the air blast is blownthrough the housing y ,board 33,1under both 4downward Vand upin the samedirection in which the erasers are fedV thereto; and second, that thecylindrical brush 23 is rotated in a directiontodischarge, the dust fromthe erasers in the sameV direction in which the erasers are being .fedthrough the .housing by the feed belt. Hence, boththe action of theairblast and of the rotary brush serve to'increaSe the rapidity withwhich the loosened chalk dust will be delivered through the dischargespout V.7.

It should be further noted that-the beater board 33 is so flexibly oryieldingly con knected to the supporting arms 35'that it will adaptitself universally to varying or irregular surfaces produced by theupturned felt faces ofthe erasers engaged thereby. Moreover, the saidbeater board 33, when stopped' against the erasers, does not preventfurther movements with the arms 35.V I-Ience,lsaid arms may be arrangedfor greateroscillatory Vmovement than that of the beater board,Y

and the beater board will be given such selfadjusting action that itwill adapt itself to the beating of erasers of different thicknesseswithout requiring Vre-adjustment of the machine. l r Y The crasers to becleaned are placed on thatportion of the feed belt that is outsidehousing having an air intake at one end` loo and an air outlet at itsother end, `of a powerdriven fan havinga discharge lspout connected tothe air intake ofi-said housing, a .power-driven horizontally disposedfeed belt operative to feed erasers into said housing in a directionfrom Said air intake toward said air outlet, a table over which theyupper portion of said feed belt moves, a beater board Working above saidfeed belt, pivoted arms yieldingly connected to and supporting saidbeater board, and powerdriven crank devices connected to said arms foroscillating the same.

2. The construction defined in claim l in further combination withretaining cables laterally spaced and supported above said belt andbelow said beater board.

3. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a housinghaving an air intake at one end and an air outlet at the other end, of adeck extending under the air intake and terminating short of the airoutlet, a feed device arranged to feed erasers over the deck; a fanhaving a discharge spout at the air intake, and a beater working abovethe deck, said housing` having a discharge opening for the erasers belowthe inner end of the deck.

4. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a housing, adeck, means for feeding erasers over the deck, a beater working abovethe deck, pivoted arms yieldingly connected to and supporting thebeater, means connected to the arms for oscillating the same, and meansfor forcing a blast of air through the housing.

5. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a housing,of a deck, means for feeding erasers over the deck, a. beater workingabove said means and being in the form of a board having a groovedundersurface, means for holding the erasers on the deck during the action ofthe beater thereon, and means for forcing a blast of air through thehousing.

6. The structure defined in claim 5 in which said means for holding theerasers on the deck is in the form of flexible cables.

7. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a housing,of a deck, means for feeding erasers over the deck, a beater workingabove said means, yieldingly held flexible cables for holding theerasers on the deck during the action of the beater thereon, and meansfor forcing a blast of air through the housing.

8. The structure defined in claim 7 in further combination with a brushoperative on the erasers between said cables and inner end of the deck.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

OSCAR L. EVANS.

